Inauguration of the Alain-Lemaire Solar Park

The solar park in Kingsey Falls is the only facility of its kind in Canada.

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On October 20, 2014, we inaugurated the Alain-Lemaire Solar Park installed by the young Sherbrooke-based company Rackam. The powerful concentrated solar power system will allow Cascades to reduce the consumption of natural gas used to produce the hot water required for operations at its Kingsey Falls industrial complex. The project is a first in the pulp and paper industry!

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Interesting facts:

Cascades consumes 52% less energy than the Canadian pulp and paper industry average.

The solar plant has a surface area of 1490 m2 on a 4000 m2 lot.

We estimate production at more than 1 MWh a year.

More than 4440 GJ a year will be used to heat 87 500 m3 of pressurized water to a temperature of 106oC to 118oC.

The facility will result in savings of 139 700 m3 of natural gas annually.

The complex will reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by more than 265 equivalent tonnes of CO2 per year, or 5300 tonnes of CO2 over 20 years.

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With the commissioning of the Alain-Lemaire Solar Park, Cascades is reaffirming its position as a leader in energy efficiency. Such a project would never have come into being without the vision and values instilled in Cascades by the Lemaire brothers. For many years, Alain Lemaire, co-founder of the Company, had hoped to make Kingsey Falls a technological showcase for a green and renewable energy project. That is why we are pleased to name the project the “Alain-Lemaire Solar Park” in his honour. We hope that this initiative will inspire other businesses to follow suit!

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Mario Plourde was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Cascades Inc. in May of 2013. He leads the management teams responsible for the operations and business units of Cascades' three major divisions (Tissue Group, Norampac and Specialty Products Group).
Mario holds a bachelor's degree in business administration, with a major in finance from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). He is a skiing and cycling enthusiast. Mario joined Cascades in 1985 and has held the positions of Controller, Plant Manager and General Manager. In 1997, Mr. Plourde was named Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of the Specialty Products Group and then became its President from 2000 to 2010. In 2011, he was named Chief Operating Officer of Cascades Inc. In addition to his numerous responsibilities at Cascades, Mario is also a member of the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association and also participates in fund raising for Centraide and the Fondation Charles-Bruneau. He is also a member of UQAM's Counsel Group.

Welcome to the Cascades blog. We will be using this space to share information about our initiatives in sustainable development and to engage with you on this subject. We will be posting articles regularly about innovation and social responsibility. We welcome your comments!